Egg-tester.



R. A. DAVIS.

BGG TESTER.

APPLICATION FILED PEB.20, 1911.

Patented June 27, 1911.

aja H /r// /f c E. E

RICHARD A. DAVIS, 0F LEXINGTON, MISSISSIPPI.

EGG-TESTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 27, 1911.

Application filed February 20, 1911. Serial No. 609,748.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD A. DAVIS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Lexington, in the county of Holmes, State of Mississippi,have invented certain new` and useful Improvements in Egg-Testers; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to egg testers and has for an object to providean egg tester in which the quality of the egg will be determined bymeans of light passing through the egg itself and being reflected backupon the egg, the intensity of illumination of the egg depending uponthe free or obstructed passage of light through the egg itself, so thatit will be known to the operater from observing the illuminated exteriorof the egg whether or not the egg is good or bad.

A further object of the invention is to -provide an egg tester in whicha few or a great many eggs may be tested at a single time, and thetester will be so constructed as to positively prevent light beingreflected through the unoccupied egg orifices when few eggs are being'tested, back on to the eggs being tested, thusthe efficiency of the eggtester is promoted by preventing wandering rays of light frominterfering with the testing operation when but few eggs are beingtested.

With the above objects in view the invention consists in certain noveldetails of construction and combination of parts hereinafter fullydescribed and claimed, it being understood that various modications maybe made in the minor details of construction within the scope of theappended claims.

In the accompanying dra-wing forming part of this specifcationz-Fignre 1is a longitudinal sectional view through the egg tester. Fig. 2 is across sectional view taken on the line 2-2 Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawing in which like characters of referencedesignate similar parts, the egg tester is shown to comprise anapproximately rectangular casing including a bottom 10 from the oppositelongitudinal edges of which rise vertical walls 11 and from the oppositeend edges of which rise vertical end walls 12, the side and end wallsbeing connected at their top edges by a top wall 13, and furtherahorizontally disposed partition 111 is arranged within the casing midwaybetween the top and bottom walls.

The top wall is provided with a plurality of egg receiving openings 15,and the partition is likewise provided with a plurality of openings 16of approximately the same size as the egg receiving openings and inalinement therewith. Arranged upon the bottom of the egg tester is amirror 17, this mirror cont-acting with its marginal edges the side andend walls. A plurality of straight tubes 18 are inserted through theopenings 16 in the partition, these tubes contacting with their lowerends against the mirror and being supported in uprightpositionthereupon. A sight opening 19 is formed in one end wall of the casingand forms means for viewing the exposed portions of the eggs 2O whichproject through the egg receiving openings 15 into the interior of thecasing.

Referring now to Fig. 1 it will be observed that several rays of lightare illustrated by dotted lines, and by virtue of the well knownprinciple that the angle of reflection of a ray of lightis equal to theangle of incident of the ray, a ray of light passing through an egg atan angle suoli as shown by dotted lines at 21, will pass downwardthrough the underlying tube, being reflected by the mirror, and pass toa considerable extent out through the egg again, as shown at 22, butsince the egg is by virtue of the intense whiteness of its shell areflector, part of this ray of light will be reflected as shown at 23 toan observing eye at the sight opening, this reflected ray of lighthaving the effect of illuminating the egg. By virtue of the well knownfact that a fresh egg is nearly transparent while a bad egg due to thepartial mixture of the yolk with the white is nearly opaque, the lightwill pass in greater volume through a fresh egg than a bad egg. Thesedifferences of volume in the light passing through the eggs will makecorresponding differences in the illumination in t-he eggs. Thus a freshegg viewed through the sight opening will appear intensely illuminatedwhile a bad egg will be but feebly illuminated and the detection of badeggs thus made easy.

In order that a few eggs may be tested at one time without the testingoperation being impaired by wandering rays of light entering through theunoccupied egg receiving openings, the tubes 18 are positively required.By virtue of these tubes as shown in Fig. 1, a ray of light may enterunoccupied egg receiving openings as shown at 24, and passing throughthe underlying tube will be .reflected by the mirror back through theeggreceiving opening Aas shown at 25 by virtue of the law governing thereflection of light above stated. It is thus clearly demonstrated thatall the light reaching thefmirror through any particular eggreceivingeopening Will be reflectedvbaclr throughithat opening. Nowsuppose that the tubes Were dispensed with, it is clear that the rayofflight entering through one of the unoccupiedfegg yreceiving openingsas shown -at Q6, could pass through'thefunderlying openin inthepartition, yarrive at themirror, anrIbe reflected back therefrom "asshown at 27 throughl an adjacent opening inthe partition andzeventuallyarrive atand illuminate an egg-being tested.

It is nonT clear that a simple and etlicient eggtester is providedvvhichivill be equally effective Whether -a small number or large numberof eggs are being tested at one time.

=Wh-at is claimed,'is:-

1. A11-egg tester including a casing hav. ing an egg receiving opening,and asight opening, and means'vvithin the casing-'for reflecting lightpassing through an egg in said opening 'back upon said egg for illuminabing said egg.

2. An egg tester including a casing having a plurality of egg receivingopenings, and a sight opening, llght reflecting means for reflectinglight entering the casing through an egg in one of said openings, backupon `and-illuminating said egg, and means for preventing light Whichenters unoccupied egg receiving openings from illuminating eggs beingtested.

3. An egg tester including a casing, a partition horizontally disposedIWithin the casing, amirror on the casing bottom, alined openings beingformed in the top of said casing and in said partition, and y-a.plurality oftubes engaged in the partition openings and bearing uponsaid 'mirror, said casing top openings being designedto receive eggsandpermit of portions of thefeggsvprojecting interiorly vvithinfthe casing,one Wall of said casing being `formed with a sight opening for viewingthe exposed portions of eggs projecting -Within the casing.

In testimony whereof, 'I -aflixzmy signature, in presence of twoWitnesses.

RICHARD A. DAVIS.

Witnesses L. E. BARR, "W. H. FINoHER,.Jr.

Copies of this patent maybe: obtained for ive cents each,byaddressingthe .Com'missioner ofPate-nts,

. Washington, D. C.

